Amritsari Fish Indian Fried Fish

If you don’t want to deep fry the fish, I am also including the method of pan frying or making Tawa fish fry.

About Amritsari Fish

As the name suggests, Amritsari fish originated in the city of Amritsar in northern india and is it a very famous street food there. The fish is marinated in a garlic-ginger laced, turmeric hued tangy masala and then lightly coated in a mix of rice and besan (gram) flours before deep fried until golden and crispy. You can pan fry the fish as well if you don’t want to deep fry. Similar to authentic punjabi or north indian recipes, spices & herbs like ajwain, chaat masala and kasuri methi in the marinade set its taste apart from other regional fried fish preparations. The taste lies in the marinade. Don’t skimp on spices. The marinade is fragrant, bold and hot perfectly contrasting the taste of white fish. Ideally, this preparation tastes best with firm white fish. I used barramundi fish steaks that I purchase from my asian store fish monger. Choose portions from around the fish belly if you are using steak. You can use baramundi fillets as well. Cut the boneless fillets into strips. Amritsari fish is hot and spicy. Go heavy handed on red chili powder, I use extra hot red chili powder. For authentic punjabi fish fry taste, don’t skip the kasuri methi and chaat masala.
You don’t need to marinate for too long if you are deep frying- about 20 minutes is okay. However, if you are pan frying, marinate the fish for at least 1 hour for the best flavor. I would also like to note that fish like salmon or catfish, though may be used, are quite mild in taste. However since these are easily available in US, you can use. Cut the salmon in chunks or in strips. Lastly, on streets they deep fry the fish in mustard oil which gives it quite a bit of flavor. I do the same at home.

Ingredients

Fish - As I already mentioned you can use any kind of fish you want. I use barramundi. Salmon or cod is fine too. Just keep in mind that the fish should be able to stand up to frying. Spices & Herbs - Ajwain, Red Chilli Powder, Turmeric, Kasuri methi, Chaat Masala Besan (Gram Flour)Flour - Besan gives the fish the Punjabi flair. It adds amazing nutty taste to the batter. You may use fine ground chickpea flour in place of besan. Else all purpose flour. Rice Flour - Use fine ground unsweetened rice flour. Rice flour makes the fish crispy when you deep fry. Other Ingredients - Ginger & Garlic, Lemon, Salt

How to Make Amritsari Fish

Tip:- For extra crispy fish, coat the fish in a thin layer of batter. If the fish skin or fish is exposed, all the better. Pan Frying the Fish :- To pan fry, add 3-4 tablespoon oil to a shallow pan. Let oil heat and place the marinated fish in a single layer in oil. Fry on low medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side. Flip as needed. Tip:- Pan frying on a relatively lower heat will still give you a crispy coating.

Tips

Whichever variety of fish you are choosing, make sure that it can stand to deep frying without falling apart. The traditional recipes use curd or yogurt to make the batter, however I feel that it makes the coating less crispy so I add water. If you prefer softer fried layer, use thick yogurt instead of water. In place of mustard oil, you can use any oil that you normally use in your home for deep frying. If you don’t have kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves), simply skip them. You can add a few minced fresh herbs of your choice to the marinade if you wish. Chaat masala adds a tangy spicy saltiness to the batter. There is no substitute for it. If you don’t have it, add extra lemon juice to the batter. Don’t make a very thick coating of the batter on the fish. A thin even coating is ideal. Add chopped Thai bird chillies to the batter for extra kick especially if you are not serving to kids.

Serving Ideas

Serve Amritsari fried fish with pickled onions and green chutney. You can use boneless fish strips and serve it as fish tacos with cabbage slaw and crema. Serve it with a side of greens as a light, gluten free meal. Serve with hot fries and chips along with ketchup to kids.